Soft drink brand Lilt has been scrapped by parent company Coca-Cola after 48 years and is set to be absorbed into the Fanta portfolio as its new ‘Pineapple and Grapefruit’ flavour.
First launched in 1975 the brand had grown into a fixture of British pop culture, spawning numerous iconic ads across the 1980s and 1990s.
The drink will hit the shelves in its new guise from today (14 February), and will likely benefit from the increased brand recognition associated with Fanta, which last year registered sales worth £282 million, as opposed to Lilt’s £15.6 million.
Whilst many of a certain generation will feel a pang of melancholy nostalgia at the thought of Lilt finally biting the dust, its long decline as a truly competitive and relevant player on the soft drinks scene has been undeniable for decades.
Farewell sweet Lilt. pic.twitter.com/rWVj2DrWCd
— El Tigre (@hazeldanger) February 13, 2023
Today’s development are simply the culmination of a quarter-century of marketing neglect, with the brand having systemically failed to connect with customers under 30, effectively being put out to pasture as far back as the turn of the century.
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In a statement, Coca-Cola reassured fans, saying: “Keen Lilt fans may have spotted a gradual transition as the drink has made its way into the Fanta family over the past few months, with changes to its packaging and logo.
“Some have even hypothesised on social media that Lilt may be becoming part of the Fanta brand, and one even went as far as producing their own news broadcast-style video.”
me seeing the news that they’ve discontinued Lilt: pic.twitter.com/WbchwT0lYt
— Scott Chegg (@buckfastbadlad) February 13, 2023
Coca-Cola’s decision to finally axe the cherished brand will no doubt proved shrewd business, in which of course there can no room for sentiment – especially if it bars the route to progress, of which the Fanta brand is set to play a pivotal part for the soft-drink giant over the coming decades.
The firm’s GB vice-president of commercial development, Martin Attock added: “Our main priority with this announcement is to reassure Lilt’s loyal fanbase that absolutely nothing has changed when it comes to the iconic taste of the drink they know and love. It’s still bursting with tangy tropical flavours, it’s just got itself a new name.”
